


From Another Realm

by bakedpotatocat



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, F/F, Fluff, Nonbinary Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 14:38:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18853078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bakedpotatocat/pseuds/bakedpotatocat
Summary: Roxy, left all on her lonesome in a house out in the woods after her mother's disappearance, finds someone, or something, in the deepest section of the forest.Calliope is an outcast fae that seems to be hiding something.How will the pair learn to love one another, when they've got no one else?





	From Another Realm

They were a sleepwalked vision of perfectly androgynous beauty, shimmering through a thin veil of unreality. The fae royal spoke, talking to the forest around them, in a voice of two tongues; simultaneously sweet and lilting and deep and protective. An armor of vines hugged their lithe body tightly, somehow both revealing and completely chaste. Their face was an inhuman pale sparkling in the canopy’s dappled sunlight, capped by a tiara of thorns. Their very image seemed to vibrate slightly in the shifting shade. Roxy could never get a clear look at their face. She knew instinctively this was the deepest part of the woods, a liminal space between her world and… somewhere else.

Roxy moved to introduce herself to that beautiful … person? But before she had a chance to do so, she blinked, and they were gone. She would have to come back, the sun was setting, and the woods are not a good place to be lost at night. As she made her way home, she pondered how to find her again. Perhaps her mother’s books would be of use; before her untimely disappearance, Rose was a practicing witch.

She spent almost a full day studying every text she could about the fae and woodland spirits; none of them, however, referenced a gorgeous humanoid in a tiara of thorns. There were plenty of old warrior spirits that wore vine armor. Known as the guardians of the summer court, they wandered the deep parts of fertile forest and did violence against those that had come to harm their sacred places. Almost all fae were a mix of handsome or beautiful; not conventionally attractive, but certainly haunting and memorable. However, little described or illustrated their faces, despite the sheer volume of literature and research Rose had amassed in the preceding years. There was only one bit of truly useful information – offerings of summer fruit and sweets were particularly liked by the fae, though you should not take any in return, lest you never come back to the human world. Roxy, honestly, didn’t have much she would be leaving behind. Dirk and Jake, of course, and while she loved Jane, it did not seem reciprocated, merely a deep sense of friendship on the other girl’s end. She could make that decision if it came to it. More than likely, she would search for a decade and never meet that spirit again.

Roxy set out early in the morning, bag laden with sweets and fresh strawberries. She decided to take the time to weave a flower crown as she hiked deep into the woods once more, intending it as another offering to the woodland spirits. She wore cutoff jean shorts, high socks to protect her legs from the grass, and a thin white crop top that was one of her favorites. A good impression, she thought, to the fae. Was she smitten with some spirit she had only seen once? It wasn’t impossible, Mom had talked often of a spirit in her past that haunted her visions, waking and dreamt. There were things in this world, or betwixt this world and whatever others there were, that could not be exactly understood, even with Roxy’s predilection for science. She decided her feelings for the fae spirit were one of them. One tome had warned of the fae’s spell, a more insidious one than the magic of their food, that would trap you in a haze of love if you saw them. It didn’t matter. She was determined, whether through her natural feelings or those induced, to find that spirit.

Roxy walked into an open clearing and sat down on a stump to catch her breath. Snacking idly on some of the fresh fruit she had brought along, flower crown on her head to keep it from getting dirty or smushed, she failed to notice that same fae spirit creeping into view.

CALLIOPE: excuse me, madam, but I don’t believe i’ve made your acquaintance  
CALLIOPE: are you, perhaps, the protector of these woods?  
CALLIOPE: it is a very nice place here, though I understand if you want me to vacate it

Roxy jumped as she saw that same spirit, now much more easily visible. Their face was… there were no words. Angular, for sure, but… gorgeous and beautiful and haunting and skeletal and strikingly handsome all failed to get across the emotions it stirred in her. If this was magic, she hoped it kept working. No complaints here.

CALLIOPE: do you mind if I join you? that is a very nice stump.  
ROXY: please! sorry, miss fae person, or mister, or whichever  
ROXY: uh  
ROXY: these are for you  
ROXY: I saw you  
ROXY: a couple days ago  
ROXY: and i don’t really make the rules around here but you are more than welcome to stay  
ROXY: in these woods  
ROXY: i thought you looked pretty and haunting and lovely  
ROXY: yeah  
ROXY: please have some strawberries 

Roxy thrust the small basket into the fae’s hands, looking away sheepishly, trying to process the mix of surprise and joy and _absolute terror_ that the fae inspired in her now that they were up close.

CALLIOPE: you can call me callie! although i have many names  
CALLIOPE: but most of the other names aren’t very nice  
CALLIOPE: i haven’t met anyone in a while, though  
CALLIOPE: and certainly not anyone as nice as you!  
CALLIOPE: these are great berries  
CALLIOPE: and that’s a gorgeous crown  
CALLIOPE: i’ll admit, i’m not from these parts  
CALLIOPE: but do humans protect the woods in this area?  
CALLIOPE: are you the queen of this forest?

Roxy smiled and laughed nervously. Okay, mistaken identity. That was fairly straightforward. What should she say? Was this fae dangerous or was her racing heart because of the butterflies crammed into her stomach?

ROXY: well  
ROXY: yes and no  
ROXY: i don’t think anyone else lives around here  
ROXY: human or otherwise, except that one bear and some deer  
ROXY: but i don’t think they make very good royals  
ROXY: but  
ROXY: i’d be happy to abdicate my throne  
ROXY: to such a pretty  
ROXY: lady?  
ROXY: may i call you that  
CALLIOPE: lady seems a very nice thing to be called  
CALLIOPE: so yes, thank you  
CALLIOPE: i wouldn’t ask you to abdicate however!  
ROXY: do you want me, to maybe, show you around a bit  
ROXY: my lady callie  
ROXY: it seems you’re new in town  
ROXY: and it’s a beautiful, uh, kingdom we have here  
CALLIOPE: i think i would like that very much.

The pair walked, quietly, through the woods. Roxy wasn’t sure what was going through Callie’s head, and she could barely keep track of her own racing thoughts and questions. The fae were real, and they were hot, and apparently this one liked her?  What the hell was up with that? What was up with her racing heart, and why did she feel like she could walk with Callie like this forever? There was hopefully plenty of time for all of that later. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy the beautiful scenery and the beautiful fae next to her. To think, if she hadn’t thought to make that flower crown none of this might have happened. Roxy led the Lady Callie to her favorite spot in the forest, a small waterfall that emptied into the pond nearby. Callie gasped at the sight.

CALLIOPE: its beautiful.  
CALLIOPE: is this you’re the entrance to your throne room?  
ROXY: haha no  
ROXY: that would be pretty sick  
ROXY: im not actually a queen yknow  
ROXY: just a normal human  
ROXY: i made this flower crown like an hour ago  
ROXY: i hope thats ok? with u?  
CALLIOPE: oh ok this all makes a lot more sense  
CALLIOPE: i just figured you were comfortable enough in your home territory to not have a glamour  
CALLIOPE: i do apologize  
ROXY: no no its fine!   
ROXY: i kinda led you on a bit anyway  
ROXY: i   
ROXY: uh  
ROXY: i think ur cute  
ROXY: and i didnt want you to run away or disappear  
ROXY: it’s a little selfish  
CALLIOPE: its quite alright  
CALLIOPE: i think u are quite cute as well  
CALLIOPE: my dear  
ROXY: aw shucks thank u  
ROXY: anyways the waterfall isnt what i wanted to show u  
ROXY: its whats BEHIND the waterfall  
ROXY: after you, my lady

Roxy smiled as she followed the fae, watching her pick her way along the rocks that lined the waterfall. They dipped behind the river’s curtain and into Roxy’s favorite spot, where a small clapboard door opened into the sort of things you would find in a treehouse. A few bean bag chairs, some blankets, and an old-school icebox that held snacks, buried inside. Back when Rose was around Roxy spent a lot of time here, avoiding her mother when one or the both of them were in a mood. Now that she had the house all to herself she didn’t quite need it, but it was still a comforting place to visit.

ROXY: so my lady  
ROXY: how do you find it  
CALLIOPE: well its not much for grandeur  
CALLIOPE: and it could use a lot more plants  
CALLIOPE: but it seems to suit you perfectly!  
CALLIOPE: even though you said it was not a throne and it is certainly an unconventional keep  
CALLIOPE: i do think i like it very much  
CALLIOPE: you would make a great, although very unconventional, fae  
ROXY: heheh thanks  
ROXY: so are you just passing through or  
ROXY: i dunno, whatever fae do  
CALLIOPE: you are very far from my home lands, darling  
CALLIOPE: and that is not without reason  
CALLIOPE: would you mind if i  
CALLIOPE: stayed here  
CALLIOPE: a while?  
CALLIOPE: i would understand if not  
ROXY: i think that would be great!  
ROXY: it gets kinda lonely  
ROXY: and if you consider this a throne than you can consider me  
ROXY: abdicating it  
ROXY: my lady  
ROXY: rather  
ROXY: my queen

Callie rushed over and wrapped Roxy in a tight hug. The fae’s image seemed to vibrate a little, shimmering like a bad TV connection. Roxy wondered if she was maintaining a glamour, and if strong emotion made that more difficult. She hugged Callie back, feeling the fae’s energy pulse into her, and wondered once again if she was under some sort of spell. Fuck it. If she was, it certainly felt nice, and Callie seemed like they had never hurt a fly. 

ROXY: although i could certainly do this for a while  
ROXY: maybe i should show you around  
ROXY: a bit more

Perhaps Roxy wouldn’t take the fae home quite yet. She lived quite a ways away, and besides, that was a little forward and perhaps a little dangerous. Besides, the two of them had at least a little time, and if Roxy played her cards right, perhaps a very long time. She could figure it out later.


End file.
